The Chief Minister Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Government has started a helpline number to receive complaints in connection with health problems of the public.

Talking about 104 helpline, Punjab minister Brahm Mohindra said it was started with the motive to address the problems faced by the general public in various government hospitals. (Reuters)

The Chief Minister Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Government has started a helpline number to receive complaints in connection with health problems of the public. It has also issued directives to address them within a fixed period of time too. In this regard, Health and Family Welfare minister Brahm Mohindra on Monday issued strict guidelines to the officers asking them to address any emergency complaint received on the department’s 104 helpline within an hour, reported news agency PTI. Disappointed over the pending complaints received on the helpline, the Punjab minister ordered that action should be taken in a timely manner.

Talking about 104 helpline, Mohindra said it was started with the motive to address the problems faced by the general public in various government hospitals as well as to seek their suggestions for better implementation of the schemes. However, the motive seemed to be defeated as many of the complaints have not been addressed since long, he said.

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The minister said that the emergency complaints will now be addressed within an hour on priority basis. Taking note of previous condition when many complaints were left pending, Mohindra warned that departmental action would be taken against erring officers. He added that the 104 helpline control centre has been asked to report to the Director, Health Services immediately in case the district administration does not co-operate in addressing any emergency complaint.

Mohindra also cut down the time limit to address the non-emergency but important complaints. Such issues will now be addressed within two days for which one week was the deadline earlier, added the PTI report.

Since initiating the facility, the department has so far received as many as 7,64,047 calls on 104 helpline, said Mohindra. Out of which 4,49,263 calls were related to seeking information of health facilities, while 17,229 calls were actually made to register complaints, added Mohindra.